A picture of Father Damien hangs crookedly on the wall in the front hallway of the Albany Damien Center Thursday, Aug. 29, 2013. The Damien Center burned overnight on Lake Ave. in Albany, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union) less

A picture of Father Damien hangs crookedly on the wall in the front hallway of the Albany Damien Center Thursday, Aug. 29, 2013. The Damien Center burned overnight on Lake Ave. in Albany, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren ... more

A picture of Father Damien hangs crookedly on the wall in the front hallway of the Albany Damien Center Thursday, Aug. 29, 2013. The Damien Center burned overnight on Lake Ave. in Albany, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren / Times Union) less

A picture of Father Damien hangs crookedly on the wall in the front hallway of the Albany Damien Center Thursday, Aug. 29, 2013. The Damien Center burned overnight on Lake Ave. in Albany, N.Y. (Lori Van Buren ... more

Thursday morning, the refuge was destroyed by fire, leaving Gonhue, her young daughter, Sarah, and a wealth of other HIV and AIDS patients without a key support center.

"I was alone, but I wasn't alone because I had the Albany Damien Center," Gonhue said of days when she was too sick to leave her home.

The early-morning fire broke out shortly after 6 a.m. Executive Director Perry Junjulas said he received a call at 6:15 a.m. from one of the center's workers, who lives a few homes down from the South Lake Avenue center, and knew from her voice something was wrong.

When firefighters arrived, they found fire in the basement of the three-story brick structure, Albany Fire Department Chief Robert Forezzi said. The basement, a majority of which was occupied by offices, was burned out as was much of the rest of building, Junjulas said after he walked through the building.

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How to help:

The Albany Damien Center is seeking donations following a fire that destroyed its South Lake Avenue location. Visit www.albanydamiencenter.org and click the donate tab.

The heat was so intense, paint melted off the walls on the third floor.

The fire's cause was under investigation Thursday morning, though Forezzi said it does not look suspicious.

The Albany Damien Center offers services to roughly 50 HIV and AIDS patients each day and hundreds of others throughout the year. PAWS program coordinator Diane Metz said, in addition to the pet program she leads, the center offers educational, employment and nutrition programs.

As she described the nutrition program, Metz paused before saying there would be 40 or 50 people who would go hungry Thursday because they rely on the center for daily meals. Junjulas said 20,000 meals total were provided last year.

Community members and clients came in droves late Thursday morning to offer any help they could. McGeary's Pub co-owner and center supporter Tess Collins arranged for food to be made for firefighters and clients. Others sought to organize where the center would move to next.

"We will be back up and running very soon," Junjulas said.

For clients like Richard Williams and his wife, Janice Nelson, of Richmondville, getting the center running soon will be key. He said the center helped him accept that he is HIV positive and has been financially supportive while he lives on disability payments. It also has been a place for lunch when Williams drives 50 miles to Albany for doctor visits.

"This center helps the most vulnerable people in the community," he said.

Junjulas said the loss isn't about possessions, it's about the place that has been a source of support.

"He has helped take something that is supposed to be scary ... and (helped me) empower myself to stand up in the community and say, 'I'm not alone,'" Gonhue said. "We're here for each other. That's what the Damien Center has done for me."